Post-traumatic stress disorder
From The Art and Popular Culture Encyclopedia
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| == Cultural references == | == Cultural references == | ||
| - | [[Jonathan Shay]], a psychiatrist for the Boston Department of Veterans' Affairs Outpatient Clinic was treating soldiers who suffered from PTSD. He was struck by the similarity of their war experiences to Homer's account of [[Achilles]] in the [[Iliad]]. He also believes [[Hotspur]] in [[William Shakespeare]]s [[Henry IV, Part 1]] is portrayed as a person suffering from PTSD.<ref>Jonathan Shay: Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. Simon & Schuster; First Touchstone edition</ref> | + | [[Jonathan Shay]], a psychiatrist for the Boston Department of Veterans' Affairs Outpatient Clinic was treating soldiers who suffered from PTSD. He was struck by the similarity of their war experiences to Homer's account of [[Achilles]] in the [[Iliad]]. He also believes [[Hotspur]] in [[William Shakespeare]]s [[Henry IV, Part 1]] is portrayed as a person suffering from PTSD. |
| - | [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] served in [[World War I]]. It is believed that he portrayed [[Frodo Baggins]] in [[The Lord of the Rings]] as a person suffering from PTSD.<ref>Karyn Milos: Too Deeply Hurt. Mallorn Issue 36</ref> | + | [[J. R. R. Tolkien]] served in [[World War I]]. It is believed that he portrayed [[Frodo Baggins]] in [[The Lord of the Rings]] as a person suffering from PTSD. |
| [[Dorothy L. Sayers]]'s fictional sleuth [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] suffers from PTSD as a result of horrors witnessed in [[World War I]], and has a particularly affecting attack of flashbacks in ''[[Whose Body?]]'', the first book in which he stars. | [[Dorothy L. Sayers]]'s fictional sleuth [[Lord Peter Wimsey]] suffers from PTSD as a result of horrors witnessed in [[World War I]], and has a particularly affecting attack of flashbacks in ''[[Whose Body?]]'', the first book in which he stars. | ||
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| The song "Just Another Day" by 80s new wave group [[Oingo Boingo]] ambiguously references posttramaumatic stress disorder. | The song "Just Another Day" by 80s new wave group [[Oingo Boingo]] ambiguously references posttramaumatic stress disorder. | ||
| - | In more recent work, an example is that of [[Krzysztof Wodiczko]] who teaches at [[MIT]] and who is known for interviewing people and then projecting these interviews onto large public buildings.<ref>[[Mark Jarzombek]], "The Post-traumatic Turn and the Art of Walid Ra'ad and Krzysztof Wodiczko: from Theory to Trope and Beyond," in ''Trauma and Visuality'', Saltzman, Lisa and Eric Rosenberg, editors (University Press of New England, 2006)</ref> Wodiczko aims to bring trauma not merely into public discourse but to have it contest the presumed stability of cherished urban monuments. His work has brought to life issues such as homelessness, rape, and violence. Other artists who engage the issue of trauma are Everlyn Nicodemus of Tanzania and Milica Tomic of Serbia.<ref>Elizabeth Cowie, "Perceiving Memory and Tales of the Other: the work of Milica Tomic," ''Camera Austria'', no. [?], pp. 14-16.</ref> | + | In more recent work, an example is that of [[Krzysztof Wodiczko]] who teaches at [[MIT]] and who is known for interviewing people and then projecting these interviews onto large public buildings. Wodiczko aims to bring trauma not merely into public discourse but to have it contest the presumed stability of cherished urban monuments. His work has brought to life issues such as homelessness, rape, and violence. Other artists who engage the issue of trauma are Everlyn Nicodemus of Tanzania and Milica Tomic of Serbia. |
| [[George Carlin]] comments on the various incarnations of PTSD terminology on his 1990 album [[Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics]]. He traces the [[euphemism treadmill|progression of what he views as euphemisms]], which followed "shell shock" in World War I: "battle fatigue" in World War II, "operational exhaustion" in the Korean War, and finally PTSD, a clinical, hyphenated term, in the Vietnam War. "The pain is completely buried under jargon. Post-traumatic stress disorder. I'll bet you if we'd have still been calling it shell shock, some of those Viet Nam veterans might have gotten the attention they needed at the time." | [[George Carlin]] comments on the various incarnations of PTSD terminology on his 1990 album [[Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics]]. He traces the [[euphemism treadmill|progression of what he views as euphemisms]], which followed "shell shock" in World War I: "battle fatigue" in World War II, "operational exhaustion" in the Korean War, and finally PTSD, a clinical, hyphenated term, in the Vietnam War. "The pain is completely buried under jargon. Post-traumatic stress disorder. I'll bet you if we'd have still been calling it shell shock, some of those Viet Nam veterans might have gotten the attention they needed at the time." | ||
| - | <ref>[http://www.iceboxman.com/carlin/pael.php#track15 George Carlin - Parental Advisory Explicit Lyrics<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> | ||
| Some people believe that sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have been stereotyped in popular culture. Many dramatic television shows have featured "psycho veteran" characters. Most recently, ABC's three daytime soap operas All My Children, One Life To Live, and General Hospital have each featured an Iraq War veteran who suffers from PTSD, and two of those three characters were written as being antisocial and prone to violence, while [[Taylor Thompson (AMC)|the other]] killed a man in defense (after having subdued him and he was no longer a threat) during a moment of stress. | Some people believe that sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have been stereotyped in popular culture. Many dramatic television shows have featured "psycho veteran" characters. Most recently, ABC's three daytime soap operas All My Children, One Life To Live, and General Hospital have each featured an Iraq War veteran who suffers from PTSD, and two of those three characters were written as being antisocial and prone to violence, while [[Taylor Thompson (AMC)|the other]] killed a man in defense (after having subdued him and he was no longer a threat) during a moment of stress. | ||
Revision as of 21:00, 6 December 2008
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- Posttraumatic stress disorder
Cultural references
Jonathan Shay, a psychiatrist for the Boston Department of Veterans' Affairs Outpatient Clinic was treating soldiers who suffered from PTSD. He was struck by the similarity of their war experiences to Homer's account of Achilles in the Iliad. He also believes Hotspur in William Shakespeares Henry IV, Part 1 is portrayed as a person suffering from PTSD.
J. R. R. Tolkien served in World War I. It is believed that he portrayed Frodo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings as a person suffering from PTSD.
Dorothy L. Sayers's fictional sleuth Lord Peter Wimsey suffers from PTSD as a result of horrors witnessed in World War I, and has a particularly affecting attack of flashbacks in Whose Body?, the first book in which he stars.
In recent decades, with the concept of trauma, and PTSD in particular, becoming just as much a cultural phenomenon as a medical or legal one, artists have engaged the issue in their work. Many movies, such as First Blood, Birdy, Coming Home, The Deer Hunter, Born on the Fourth of July, and Heaven & Earth deal with PTSD. It is an especially popular subject amongst "war veteran" films, often portraying Vietnam war veterans suffering from extreme PTSD and having difficulties adjusting to civilian life.
A very realistic depiction showed on screen was by Christian Bale in Harsh Times. He suffers from PTSD from the horrors of war.
The character Nathan Algren from The Last Samurai was suffering from PTSD after had taken part of a massacre of Native Americans before he joined the Samurai in their rebellion.
The song "Just Another Day" by 80s new wave group Oingo Boingo ambiguously references posttramaumatic stress disorder.
In more recent work, an example is that of Krzysztof Wodiczko who teaches at MIT and who is known for interviewing people and then projecting these interviews onto large public buildings. Wodiczko aims to bring trauma not merely into public discourse but to have it contest the presumed stability of cherished urban monuments. His work has brought to life issues such as homelessness, rape, and violence. Other artists who engage the issue of trauma are Everlyn Nicodemus of Tanzania and Milica Tomic of Serbia.
George Carlin comments on the various incarnations of PTSD terminology on his 1990 album Parental Advisory: Explicit Lyrics. He traces the progression of what he views as euphemisms, which followed "shell shock" in World War I: "battle fatigue" in World War II, "operational exhaustion" in the Korean War, and finally PTSD, a clinical, hyphenated term, in the Vietnam War. "The pain is completely buried under jargon. Post-traumatic stress disorder. I'll bet you if we'd have still been calling it shell shock, some of those Viet Nam veterans might have gotten the attention they needed at the time."
Some people believe that sufferers of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder have been stereotyped in popular culture. Many dramatic television shows have featured "psycho veteran" characters. Most recently, ABC's three daytime soap operas All My Children, One Life To Live, and General Hospital have each featured an Iraq War veteran who suffers from PTSD, and two of those three characters were written as being antisocial and prone to violence, while the other killed a man in defense (after having subdued him and he was no longer a threat) during a moment of stress.
Also, the Happy Tree Friends character Flippy exhibits some PTSD because of hearing sounds that reminds him of the Vietnam War. This results in the gruesome deaths of the other characters and sometimes even himself. </blockquote>
It was the subtext of the 2008 novel BROKEN: One Soldier's Unexpected Journey Home, by Chicago author and PTSD survivor W.C. Turck.
